Milan 2013: work by the late James Irvine and other international designers has been reproduced in black marble for this collection by Marsotto Edizioni, unveiled in Milan this week.

Above: Ipe tondo and Ipe quadro sidetables by James Irvine

Just Black inverts a selection of Italian brand Marsotto Edizioni's products in white Carrara marble by replicating the designs in black Marquina marble.

Above: Gina fruit bowl by James Irvine

British designer James Irvine, who passed away in February, was the company's art director. Dark versions of his Ipe tondo and Ipe quadro side tables and his simple fruit bowl designs are included in this collection.

Variations on a theme. After the absolute predominance of white, Marsotto edizioni now presents a selection of products in Black Marquina marble. The radical contrast produces entirely different effects, as in a sort of reversed image of the objects. Last year, it was the individual lines that stood out. Now it is the piece as a whole that reveals the essence of its design.

Above: Taksim side table by Konstantin Grcic

The black, non-light, forcefully asserts its presence, emphasizing the character and functionality of each object. Thus the collection acquires a renewed balance: alongside the ethereal lightness of white are the depth, weight and texture that are so ideally expressed in black.

Above: Eco book ends by Ross Lovegrove

The harmonious proportions that have always been the hallmark of each item in the Marsotto edizioni collection are naturally unvaried, together with that touch of elegance which black cannot but enhance.

Above: Poodle table by Naoto Fukasawa

And so a veritable metamorphosis has occurred, where the vibrant impact of black actually reinterprets each single piece. Enriching it with emotional, totemic values that strike a chord.